


Five Minutes More

by ThisIsLitaE



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barisi - Freeform, Cute, Hurt and humor, Kissing, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Secret Relationship, Sharing Clothes, Sweet, Wearing your partner's clothes, love token
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23591506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLitaE/pseuds/ThisIsLitaE
Summary: With their relationship a secret, Carisi wants to wear something of Barba's to get him through the day.Though he can't help wondering how Barba seems to manage his emotions so much easier.Short and sweet piece about tokens of love.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 96





	Five Minutes More

Sonny Carisi looked at the time on his smart watch. The detective knew that he should be sprinting out the door in order not to be late. He took one quick sip of coffee and pocketed his wallet, preparing to leave.

The voice echoing from the other room caused him to pause and reconsider. A smile came to his lips as Rafael Barba’s words travelled through the apartment. Carisi listened to his lover talking aloud, as he always did while prepping for another day in court. Despite the unpleasant subject matter, he couldn’t help but feel soothed just knowing Barba was close.

Slipping back towards the counter, Carisi picked up the unfinished coffee and decided work could wait. Since he and Barba were keeping their relationship a secret, the detective knew he couldn’t take time with his partner for granted. These moments behind the closed doors, they were free. It was an added bonus that Barba’s fancy coffee maker made for a much better cup than the precinct.

Barba’s voice grew louder and soon the man himself appeared in the kitchen. Even with his vest currently unbuttoned and tie undone he still looked smart and together. Naturally, the ADA made a beeline for the coffee maker.

“Not that I don’t love my coffee with a side of you, but shouldn’t you be heading to work about now.” Barba kissed Carisi softly on the lips. One hand held his beloved beverage in a Harvard mug, the other ran up and down the detective’s arm.

Carisi slid closer to his boyfriend, guiding Rafael’s head to his shoulder. “Is it so wrong to want five extra minutes with you, Rafael? Besides, with the amount of times Rollins has come in late I’m not even on the radar.”

“I suppose I won’t hear the end of it if I encourage punctuality right now.” Barba placed his mug on the counter top and surrendered to Carisi’s arms. “Just remember you won’t get the luxury of five extra minutes when you have to be in court.”

Carisi nuzzled the top of Barba’s head, savouring the sweet scent of his shampoo. He gave Barba a final squeeze before pulling back to make eye contact. “You’ve made your point. I’ll get going now. Good luck in court today.”

He pressed a sweet goodbye kiss to Barba’s lips, making it last as long as he could before walking towards the door. Carisi adjusted his suit jacket and was about to grab his black coat from Barba’s coat rack. Instead he found himself running a hand down Barba’s tan coat instead. The material felt warm, like Barba’s touch waking him up in the morning. Before he knew it, the coat was in his hands.

“Sonny, what do you think you’re doing?”

Carisi snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Barba. The other man was staring at him curiously, a hint of playfulness in his green eyes.

“Nothing.” Carisi couldn’t control the blush coming to his cheeks. “I guess this is just the only way I can have a piece of you throughout my day.”

“Well, if wearing my coat helps you feel better then feel free to take it.” Barba walked over to the detective and sighed. He took the coat and wrapped it around Carisi’s shoulders. “Happy? Or would you like a pair of my suspenders with that?”

“Come on, don’t make fun of me over this.” Carisi slipped his arms into the coat. It didn’t fit as comfortably as his own coat but the hint of Barba’s scent made up for it. “Lots of people wear their partner’s clothes.”

“Well, your own coat will be too tight for me to return the favour.” Barba smirked in reply, kissing Carisi on the cheek. “But given your insistence on being sentimental and adorable this morning, I guess I have no choice in the matter.”

Carisi was used to the snarky comments, even loved that part of Rafael. It just hurt that Barba didn’t seem to feel the same desire to be a normal couple. The ADA seemed to have his emotions under control throughout the day. Carisi, on the other hand, needed something to quell the pain of not being able to touch the one he loved. It may just be a coat, but it was something.

“I know this may seem a little corny for you but if I can’t be with you during the day, then I’ll take what I can get.” Carisi’s tone came out harsher than intended as his pleasant mood began to dissolve. “Maybe one day I can be as tough as you.”

Not wanting to provoke a fight, he turned to leave. As soon as he opened the door, it was slammed shut again by Barba. Carisi turned to the ADA for answers, finding a pair of serious green eyes staring back at him.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Carisi threw his hands up in frustration, finally releasing the truth that nagged at him for too long. “Sneaking around sucks, okay? It’s hard enough working some of these cases, having to deal with some of these perps. Then, to top it off, you walk into the precinct looking confident and sexy and I can’t even touch you. We can't even keep a single photo on our desks in case someone finds out.”

Barba gripped Carisi’s arm, forcing his boyfriend to stay still and look at him. He tried to keep his voice steady but the emotion was creeping in. “I’m doing all this for you so you don’t screw up your chances at a law career before it’s even begun. If you think this isn’t just as hard for me-“

“Well, you seem to have the apathy down pat!” Carisi snapped, feeling guilty the moment the words left his mouth. Even if Barba managed to play the part in public, Carisi always felt loved at the end of the day. He sighed before continuing. “I don’t want to argue, Rafael. I just want something of you to remind me that I have you, even when I can’t act like it.”

“Sonny…” Barba took a deep breath to compose himself. His response still came out with the slightest quiver. “If you really think I’m apathetic about what we have then go and check my briefcase.”

Carisi hesitated for a moment. It was obvious that his comment had struck a nerve and hurt Barba. He went to the briefcase sitting by the coat rack and opened it. Nothing obvious stood out at first glance.

“What am I looking for here?” Carisi flipped through the contents, still unable to see what was so important.

Barba placed a hand over Carisi’s. He reached into a side pocket of the briefcase and pulled out a pen. The shiny red click top pen didn’t appear to be anything special.

“Here. Look closely, Detective.” Barba placed the item in Carisi’s hand. He was tempted to walk away and end the argument but he stayed put. No way was he going to leave if Carisi even had a flicker of doubt about his feelings.

Carisi inspected the pen and an involuntary laugh escaped him. Along the side, printed in white were the words FORDHAM UNIVERSITY. He remembered losing this pen a while back, with Barba the Harvard graduate ribbing him that it was probably for the best.

“I’ve had that for a while. After our first night together.” Barba confessed, his eyes tearing with emotions as he tried to keep them at bay. “So I guess I’m not as tough as you thought.”

Carisi reached out for his boyfriend, hesitating in case the other man didn’t want to be touched. Sensing no objections, he slid his arms around Barba, pulling him close and rubbing circles against his back. “I'm sorry for snapping at you. I love you, Rafael, you know that.”

“I love you, too. That’s precisely why I’m trying to put your dreams first. Any recommendation I give about you would be tainted if people found out we're together.” Barba looked up into Carisi’s eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips to show forgiveness. “When I feel the urge to let our secret out in any way, this serves as a reminder of why things have to be this way. As long as I have this secret, I have you.”

Carisi sighed, knowing that Barba was right. “Maybe I should just stay a cop, make things easier for both of us.”

“Tempting as that sounds, you’re way too passionate to give up law completely.” Barba’s smile returned as the tension between the two disappeared. “After all, you kept up your enthusiasm throughout years at Fordham Law.”

Carisi laughed and playfully nudged Barba in response. He slipped the pen back into Barba’s hand. “After all your comments about Fordham Law you dare to be seen writing with this?”

“It ran out of ink a while ago. Now it merely serves as a love token until you can afford to buy me jewellery.”

Carisi smirked at the quip. He checked his smart watch and knew what he had to do. The detective slipped Barba’s coat from his shoulders, hanging it back on the rack.

Barba raised an eyebrow in confusion. “In case it wasn’t clear, you are free to take the coat Sonny.”

“I know.” Carisi cupped Barba’s face and dived in for a warm yet intense kiss. “I just want five minutes more with you first.”


End file.
